Man who was deported 10 times since 2010 faces Kansas charge

October 07, 2016 - 5:15 PM

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - A man from Mexico who had been deported from the U.S. 10 times in the last six years faces charges accusing him of raping a child in Kansas.

Tomas Martinez-Maldonado is jailed in Geary County on $100,000 bond on a charge of raping the child last month. Public defender Cole Hawver declined to comment Friday. The public defender's office was appointed to represent Martinez-Maldonado during his first appearance Thursday.

The Geary County prosecutor's office did not respond to a request Friday for a copy of the probable cause affidavit filed to support the charge.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which was asked by Geary County to investigate the allegations, said the matter was reported to police in late September. The agency said the suspect was detained immediately and turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement until charges were filed.

The agency declined comment about where he was taken into custody and where the crime is alleged to have occurred, citing the ongoing investigation.

The criminal complaint filed Sept. 30 against Martinez-Maldonado said the rape is alleged to have occurred on or about Sept. 27. The complaint doesn't list an age for the suspect but says he was born in 1978.

ICE said in an email that Martinez-Maldonado, a citizen of Mexico, has been deported back to Mexico from the U.S. 10 times since 2010. ICE also said he has a 2013 federal felony conviction for illegal re-entry into the U.S., making him an enforcement priority for ICE, which means the agency would take custody of him when his case in Kansas is completed.